Customer case study

Tomatin chooses Flogas for oil to gas conversion

Cleaner, greener whisky production

Nestled in an off-grid location in the Scottish Highlands, the Tomatin Distillery produces more than two million litres of whisky a year. Historically they have relied on Heavy Fuel Oil (HFO) and coal to meet their substantial energy requirements.

With the need to reduce their fuel costs and carbon footprint, Tomatin initially introduced a biomass boiler. However, the biomass system alone was unable to supply enough energy for the entire energy-intensive distilling process. Tomatin was left with an inefficient, expensive and polluting oil boiler to fulfil the shortfall.

After consulting with others in the industry, including former colleagues at the Knockdu distillery, Tomatin turned to Flogas to convert the oil boiler to LPG.

Location

Inverness-shire

Application

Whisky distilling

Savings

15% on annual fuel costs

560 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year (19.7%)

Early payback

“Flogas were highly recommended, so it was an easy decision for us to work with them. We’re seeing large savings and are already ahead of our return on investment schedule.”

Graham Eunson,General Manager at the Tomatin Distillery

A bespoke solution with minimal disruption

Graham Eunson, General Manager at the Tomatin Distillery, says: “We needed a replacement for our oil boiler that would be cheaper to run, reduce our carbon footprint and be easier to maintain. The whisky industry is not keen on change, and we like to reduce risk as much as we can, so we spoke to colleagues in the industry who had already switched from oil to LPG. Flogas were highly recommended, so it was an easy decision for us to work with them.”

After a full assessment of Tomatin’s unique requirements, Flogas presented a completely managed LPG conversion process. This included the installation of 12 two-tonne tanks, along with the pipework and burner installations. The tanks were located behind the distillery buildings, out of site to the general public, and the whole LPG system was installed and up and running within a week, with minimum disruption to production.

Flogas Service Excellence

Experts in energy - with over 30 years' experience

Complete project management + fast & efficient installation

More UK depots than any other LPG supplier

Automatic resupply via telemetry units fitted as standard

Reliable delivery service via nationwide network

“At Flogas, we pride ourselves on having specialist knowledge and experience of the specific energy challenges faced by a broad range of sectors – and brewing and distilling is no exception. Tomatin’s oil to LPG conversion is a perfect example of the substantial savings that can be achieved with the right combination of a customer’s forward-thinking approach and a fuel supplier’s focused expertise.”

Lee Gannon,Managing Director, Flogas

A lasting impact

Since installing the LPG system, Tomatin has seen financial savings of more than 15% on its fuel bills. Original estimates predicted a return on investment of between 12 months and two years, but the system is now expected to pay for itself in just one year. Tomatin is also on track to reduce its annual carbon emissions by 560 tonnes – a saving of almost 20%.

LPG for businesses

If your business is currently running on oil – or you’re already using LPG but looking to switch suppliers – get in touch to see how much you could save with Flogas.